This Could Last Forever
by caseycoop
Summary: Before he wrote the book, which led to the move; Dan Humphrey was just another teenage boy in love with Serena van der Woodsen. No one expected for her to love him back. Especially not him. PREQUEL to Seven Years *AUish*
1. This Could Last Forever: Prologue

**This Could Last Forever  
**_**the prequel to **__**Seven Years**_

**Summary: **Before he wrote the book, which led to the movie; Dan Humphrey was just another teenage boy in love with Serena van der Woodsen. No one expected for her to love him back. Especially not him.

**Disclaimer: **Gossip Girl isn't mine. Don't sue.

**A/N: **Some of this story is AU, some of it isn't…it's the best way to describe it. As of posting this Seven Years isn't officially finished, as the epilogue is still coming – but I want that to be as perfect as possible for everyone.

_**G~G**_

_October 8, 2005 that's when this story truly began._

Fifteen year old Dan Humphrey stood nervously in the elevator of the Palace Hotel, shifting his weight from leg to leg as he slowly ascended up to the penthouse suite of the hotel, stopping occasionally to let guests out.

He was regretting coming, he was almost positively certain that the invitation that had appeared in his locker two days earlier hadn't been for him; he should have stayed home and eaten the Chinese take out that his father and sister Jenny had been ordering when he left.

He wasn't apart of the crowd that was throwing this party. _Chuck Bass _and _Nathaniel Archibald._ The two entitled, rich boys who had free reign of the hotel that was owned by Bass senior. He was sure that the second he arrived, he'd be kicked out.

They'd never noticed him at school, but he was sure they'd zone in on him the second the elevator doors opened.

Jenny had told him all about the legendary parties that the small and elite group of friends, who all lived in the exclusive neighbourhood of the Upper East Side, threw; one after another they would all show up on the infamous _Gossip Girl _website.

His thirteen year old sister didn't know half of what happened within these parties; there were just some…things…that were never talked of again after the party had ended. From the second Dan had stepped into the darkened suite, the music blasting out of the sound system; he had blended in to the darkness and the crowd. A bottle of vodka was passed to him by an anonymous hand and that was all it took…he had made it in.

It had taken him barely two minutes from entering the party to find the reason as to why he had even agreed to his sister's insistence that he come after she had discovered the discarded invitation in the bottom of his backpack.

He had admired her from afar from years, longer than he was ready to admit. She had been the one girl that every other girl had wanted to be – even when they were still in nursery school.

Her long, sleek blonde hair, her flawless skin, her sparkling eyes and infectious smile; she was Serena van der Woodsen. Since they had both started grade school, she at Constance Billard and he at Saint Jude's, he had only ever caught sight of her when she was dressed in the conservative white blouse and blue skirt and blazer outfit that had been designed when the school had opened in the early twentieth century.

Her non-school outfits were always more fashionable, as her closet rotated on a seasonally basis, always holding the newest creations from the world's most recognizable names that he would never be able to name.

All he knew was that his blonde goddess was dressed in an uber short yellow mini dress that barely covered the top of her thigh, her long highlighted hair free around her shoulders, and she was in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, her arms high abover her head as she danced freely to the music.

In one manicured and painted hand, she held tightly on to a bottle of liquor. Even though Dan couldn't make out the label in the dark and at a distance he was ready to bet that it was similar to the Russian brand of Vodka he was currently clutching.

She smiled contently, bringing her arms down to take a drink from the half-empty bottle and then looked around; her sapphire eyes registering for the first time that someone was missing.

"Hey," She sauntered off the dance floor, and looked straight at Dan. He looked around, wondering whose way he was accidently blocking, but there was no one else paying the shipping heiress any attention.

"Do you know where Blair went?" She asked, talking like they had a conversation every day of their lives. Dan dumbly pointed in the direction where her shorter, brunette best friend had stalked off to several minutes earlier; looking pissed about something.

With another smile, and no more words, Serena moved in that direction; attracting the glances of all the males in her immediate vicinity as she pushed through the crowds trying to find her disappearing friend.

He waited in that spot, leaning against a free spot at the bar that had been set up for the party, keeping out the way as people jostled to grab a vodka, whiskey or another type of alcohol that would make them forget the entire night even happened…

He waited for _her _to come back; he waited for someone else to start a conversation with him. But it never happened. Once he had finished the bottle of vodka, he conceded again that he had made a mistake coming and quickly fought his way out the door.

It was his first, and hopefully his last Upper East Side party.

_But one thing was for sure. I fell in love with Serena van der Woodsen that night._

"That Brooklyn boy is staring at you again." Sixteen year old junior, Blair Waldorf scoffed as she and her closest friend, Serena van der Woodsen sat out enjoying the sun in the courtyard during their lunch break, left alone by the rest of the student body who were too intimidated by the two teenaged girls.

The blonde Serena looked up from her half-eaten frozen yoghurt that was quickly melting from abandonment under the August sun to catch the boy in question quickly look away.

"You haven't even been back a week, and already you have a stalker. Congratulations S." Blair teased.

Serena smiled, she was always smiling. "He's harmless." Both Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald, the two men that were regularly involved in the girls' lives had stated that he was a loser from Brooklyn, who was completely harmless albeit an annoying presence.

"I'd still watch out." Blair was inspecting her recent manicure, closely checking for any imperfections. "It's the quiet ones you need to watch."

Serena shrugged, and looked up again; and this time her sapphire blue eyes connected with the staring eyes of 'Brooklyn Boy'. She offered him a small smile before he turned in humiliation at being caught and she laughed again; sometimes she loved playing with the effect she had on guys.

As Dan swiftly made his way out of the crowded communal courtyard, his eyes not meeting with anyone else's, he was horrified that Blair Waldorf had caught him staring, that _Serena _herself had caught him staring at her.

She didn't remember who he was, and why should she? That party had been before the beginning of their sophomore year; and she had been M.I.A that year; disappearing suddenly only a couple of days after that party and before the school year started.

The word was that she had been sent to a boarding school in Connecticut, no one knew why but they were quick to guess and gossip; to only be kicked out a year later for more unknown reasons.

Whatever it was, she had been secured a place back at Constance Billard for her junior and senior years; the school board wouldn't dare lose the endowments of the affluent Lily Rhodes van der Woodsen by denying her daughter re-enrolment, and she had been accepted back into the social elite that was headed by her best friend Blair Waldorf.

Dan had needed to actually see her with his own eyes, to make sure that she _was _back and that his younger sister Jenny wasn't playing a cruel prank on him.

_Even after a year's absence, Serena van der Woodsen was as gorgeous as ever._

_**It's short…yes; but I was debating whether or not to actually begin this story in high school or after graduation. High school won out, at least for the first five or so chapters =D**_

_**So…Don't forget to review and leave any thoughts about the story.**_

_**Casey xXx**_


	2. Little by Little, Day by Day: Part One

**Little by Little, Day by Day**

"Dan and Serena sitting in a tree…K I S S I N G…" Fourteen year old Jenny Humphrey sat on a bar stool at the counter of the Humphrey family loft, mocking Dan as she spooned in mouthfuls of cereal for breakfast.

"Serena?" Rufus, their oblivious father poured himself a cup of coffee as he looked over plans for his art gallery, which was due to open in a couple of months. "Serena van der Woodsen?" He had heard his daughter mention the name a couple of times. "I didn't know you were seeing her."

"He's not." Jenny smirked between mouthfuls of breakfast. "But he wants to be…"

"Shut up." Dan grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl that sat in the center of the dining table. "I'm not interested in Serena van der Woodsen." He was a weak liar; it was obvious even to him. "Besides, she's way out of my league."

"In another galaxy." Jenny quipped, and ducked to narrowly avoid the apple that was aimed at her head.

"Dan, don't throw fruit at your sister." Rufus said tiredly, like it was something he said to his eldest child every morning. "Jenny, stop messing with your brother." Jenny smirked again, this time staying silent as Dan grabbed another piece of fruit for breakfast.

Jenny would never forever humiliate her brother by telling him that she knew he had been surfing the internet all night for any news on Serena while she had been out of the city for the year.

**~GG~**

Dan was wondering aimlessly through the streets of New York, classes finished for the day; free from the talkative nature of his sister as she went on a shopping trip with a couple of friends. He had his earphones slipped in, but he was barely paying any attention to the music that came through them as he people-watched.

He loved to people watch in New York City. There were so many different people, from all over the world; and as a writer he enjoyed creating stories for them.

The flash of blonde hair, at first had just been a blur in the landscape. How many blondes were there in New York City after all? He had dismissed it, as nothing; didn't give it a second thought.

Then there was the laugh; the melodic peal and Dan stopped in his tracks; he had heard it as the end of the song on his iPod faded into silence, before the next song could start. He yanked his earphones out to see if he could hear it again, and at the same time he spotted her, walking down the street, hand in hand with a younger boy.

It was her brother, Dan had heard about him from Jenny's insistence to fill her father and brother in on all the mindless gossip that transpired between Constance Billard and St. Jude's over dinner every night.

He was supposed to be in Miami with his Aunt or something, but apparently there had been something fishy with the story his mother had supplied. Dan couldn't remember what Jenny had said; he now just blocked her out when she started talking _Gossip Girl_.

So either the brother was back, Dan couldn't remember his name, or nameless-brother had never left Manhattan. Dan watched; trying to convince himself that he wasn't a stalker – just a curious passerby, as the two entered the famed _Ostroff Centre_, a private treatment facility.

Dan quickly hurried off, knowing that he had seen something that he probably shouldn't have.

**G~G**

The truth was that Dan had almost completely forgotten about noticing Serena with her brother outside the rehab centre the day before when he arrived at school to find the blonde with her best friend Blair and their group of ever loyal followers.

"So, S." One of the girls asked. "Where's Eric lately? We haven't seen him around in ages."

Dan had been passing by when he heard that, and he slowed staying within hearing proximity; taking a seat at one of the neighbouring tables that was still empty. He was going to be slapped with a restraining order soon.

He tried to casually watch as Serena lifted her head, a large smile already planted on her face. "He's in Maine, visiting my Aunt." She laughed, and the other girls didn't question it any more.

When Serena excused herself from the group, fabricating a story about needing to see a teacher; Dan also stood up.

Okay, so he had a crush on this girl when he was younger, he might still have a crush on her; but he didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to follow her like he was. He was going to turn into his sister, worrying about the life of Serena van der Woodsen.

When Serena stopped in a quiet corner, sinking down to the floor as she rested her head on her knees, Dan took his chance.

"Your brother, he isn't in Maine." He didn't say it accusingly, it was just a fact. Serena lifted her head sharply, surprised at the sentence.

"Yes, yes he is." She lied, and her voice wavered. "Who are you anyway?"

"Dan. Dan Humphrey." He sat down next to her; he didn't know where the sudden confidence had come from. "And no, he isn't."

Serena didn't bother to protest again. "How did you know?" She ended up asking after an awkward silence.

"I saw you two walking yesterday." Dan shrugged. "You walking back into…" His voice trailed off. Serena knew where she had gone yesterday and there was no need for him to broadcast it over the school where there was potentially someone always listening.

"My mother wants it kept a secret." Serena laughed bitterly; glad that she could talk to this boy she didn't know, at least for the time being. "She doesn't want anyone to know that her children aren't perfect."

"But at least he's getting the help he needs." It was the only thing Dan could think of saying, he didn't know what Eric van der Woodsen or his family was going through.

He struggled back to his feet, he needed to get into his own building before the morning siren went, or before someone spotted them and they became a blast on everyone's cells.

"Thank you," Serena smiled just before he walked away. "No one else knows. It's sort of nice knowing I'm not the only one anymore."

"Anytime," Dan smiled back, knowing he was going to come to regret this later. "I'm just glad I could help."

**~GG~**

"Hey…" Dan was making a quick escape after the end of classes that day, halfway down the stone steps when the greeting was called out through the semi-crowded courtyard.

"Hey…Hey you…Dan!" The same voice called out again and Dan stopped, pausing to look up. Serena was standing at the top of the steps, her hands planted firmly on her hips staring down at him.

Now that he had stopped, she ran down the stairs to meet him. "What you said this morning, about having someone to talk to…?"

He had actually said that? "Yeah."

"Coffee, tomorrow afternoon?" _Wait. What? _Was Serena van der Woodsen actually asking him out? "It feels great to talk to someone."

"Are you really going to go out with a guy you don't know?" It was the only response he could come up with while she stood there staring at him.

"Can't be any worse than the guys I do know." Her eyes flittered upwards to the top of the stairs where Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald were standing with Blair; watching their mysterious interaction.

"Four o'clock then?" Dan asked, he couldn't believe he was doing this as he gave her the name of a local coffee shop he loved.

**G~G**

_**I do not like writing short chapters…but they come easier than longer chapters. It's something I'm constantly working on…**_

_**Anyway, Dan isn't meant to be so stalker-ish – but come on who doesn't eavesdrop on their high school crushes. And now…Derena have spoken, and are going out for coffee…**_

**_Oh, and obviously, even though I might use certain scenarios and quotes from the television series; it doesn't necessarily follow the same storyline_**

**And, even though it happened yesterday – this chapter was meant to be posted then…Happy Sweet Sixteenth Kelsey, hope you had a great day =D**

_**Don't forget to review,  
Casey xXx**_


	3. Favorite Secrets

_**A/N: I promise the story won't always go at this pace, which is slightly slower than it would normally be; and it will start to pick up really soon because this isn't meant to be a high school fic =)**_

_**Special thanks to Kelsey for looking over this quickly for me to make sure it was postable; I was going to lose my mind otherwise.**_

_**As always, don't forget to review xx **_

Dan sat in the back corner booth of the small coffee shop, a quiet sanctuary from the hectic Manhattan afternoon that could be glimpsed from the windows at the front of the store. Unlike the larger nationally-franchised coffee chains, this place wasn't crowded with the usual business men and women in desperate need of an afternoon caffeine hit or giggling teenage girls wanting to gossip over a frappucino.

His hands were folded around the pristine white mug that held his normal order of an extra strong coffee. The extra caffeine to his system this late in the afternoon probably wasn't going to help him tonight when he needed to sleep, but it was welcomed after the busy day in school. His eyes were trained on the front door, waiting for her to cross the threshold into the quiet store.

He had a million thoughts racing through his head, was this an elaborate set-up? Some twisted Upper East Side joke that rich kids with too much time on their scheming hands had cooked up to prove to him that a boy from _Brooklyn _didn't belong in their world? He hoped not.

When she appeared in the open doorway though, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail to protect from the light wind outside, her eyes searching the half-empty establishment, her face lit up in an unexpected smile before rushing up to the counter to place her order before coming to join him in the half-secluded booth.

"I must have passed this place every day," She gushed out to him in greeting as she shrugged out of her jacket and sat down. "And I never knew it was here."

"That's why I love it." Dan shrugged, lifting his drink up to his lips for a minute. "It's a great place to just sit, and people watch."

Serena smiled at him again, and then to the waitress who had brought her drink over.

"You wanted to talk?" Dan asked after a couple beats of (comfortable) silence had passed between them. Serena's manicured fingers had laced their way around the large mug that held her traditional bone-dry cappuccino, and her sapphire eyes stared down at the liquid before she could even begin to think of something to say.

"My mother…my mother is the most infuriating woman I've ever met." Serena laughed, humorlessly, moments later. "My brother, he needs help and he needs his family, and all my mother is concerned about is how it's going to affect her place in society."

Dan, Dan didn't know how to answer something like that. Luckily the girl opposite him didn't want a response yet.

"I can't talk to anyone else I know about this, because they know no better. They all have the same emotionally-distant women for mothers, who would prefer to disappear to some exclusive spa or hotel or yacht than deal with the people their children are becoming."

She took a long sip of her drink, and it was obvious she was struggling with what was happening with her brother. He was struggling with what he could say that would comfort and not aggravate her.

"At least you're there for him." It was the only thing he could think of and from the small, genuine smile that she offered over the top of her drink, the right thing to say.

"I just hope I can do the right thing for him. I want to change." She admitted. "I came back to the city because I need to change." Another sip. "And Blair's so edgy around me, and I _really _need that friendship to go back to normal."

"She's just happy that you're back." Dan offered. "She's your best friend, you two have been inseparable for so long."

Serena didn't believe Dan, he didn't know the truth. Blair still didn't know the truth, and she knew her friend was likely to hate her for life once she did.

Serena moved one hand from its position on her cup and clasped one of Dan's hands that were resting on the table top. The sudden touch startled him, and he tried to focus on the girl and not the soft touch.

"You're a good person Dan Humphrey. I don't know many of them anymore." She drained the last of her drink and jumped up, kissing him on the cheek before disappearing out the café. It wasn't until her tanned limbs had disappeared amongst the late afternoon crowds did he realize what had happened.

Did he expect anything life changing to happen after the clandestine meeting in the quiet café? Of course he didn't, he wasn't a naïve child. He showed up at school the next day and everything was the same as it had always been.

Except for the small smile directed towards Dan from Serena. It was only a minute curvature of the lips, something that no one else recognized except for him.

**~GG~**

Before Serena's mysterious and sudden departure to boarding school in Connecticut, without so much as an explanation or goodbye to her best friend Blair Waldorf they had been the reigning 'IT' girls to reside over New York City. While Blair had her long-term, serious relationship to Nate Archibald; Serena had the choice of any boy she wanted.

Sometimes her choices got her into trouble, sometimes her choices sent her fleeing out of the state for a year, and then there was the boy who had unexpectedly shown her kindness and caring and she had no idea what to do.

Dan Humphrey was a social outsider, and as Chuck and Nate had informed her after her chat with him two days earlier, a nobody. He wasn't somebody that they associated with. He would never be one of them.

It wouldn't stop her though.

She just wanted to know him.

"Are you coming S or not?" Blair had stopped impatiently. It was lunch break and they were heading out to their favorite café for lunch, but Serena had stopped when she'd spotted the boy she had been thinking about all morning.

"Ah, I'll catch up with you B." She promised half-heartedly, waving her friend away. "I just remembered something I have to do first."

Watching her friend disappear down the street, her cell phone already out as she caught up on the latest _Gossip Girl _blasts, Serena confidently stalked across the semi quiet courtyard to casually sit down at the same table Dan had just occupied.

"Se…Serena." Dan stuttered slightly when he looked up from the English book he'd been reading. He hadn't expected to hear from her again after their coffee meeting, well at least not in public.

After Serena had disappeared the day before, Dan had walked home in a daze, not remembering the subway ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn; his cheek still tingling from where her lips had made contact with his skin.

"I really enjoyed yesterday." She slipped into easy conversation. "It was great to talk to someone."

"I enjoyed it too." Dan finally found the words to speak. "I'm just glad I could help you out."

"Do you have any more favorite secrets to show me?" Serena propped her elbows on the concrete table that separated them and leant forward.

He could think of a couple.

"Now?" He asked, slightly surprised. She nodded enthusiastically.

Quickly, he threw his English book back into his bag. "There's a small place not far from here that makes great sandwiches." He offered.

Serena slipped her phone out to send Blair an apology, making up a story that she had to talk to a teacher about an assignment, before slipping her hand into Dan's.


	4. You Can Never Hide From The Past

"But S, he's from _Brooklyn_." Three months had passed since Dan and Serena's spontaneous lunch escapade but Serena's friends were still having trouble accepting the idea of her new relationship. It wasn't the first time Blair had uttered those words sitting on the Met steps after school.

"His name is Dan." Serena laughed, eating a spoonful of frozen yoghurt, putting her best friend's constant remarks down to a sisterly concern. Blair opened her mouth again and the tall blonde silenced what was sure to be another criticism with a single glare.

"Just give him a chance." Serena sighed, taking another spoon of the frozen raspberry treat. "You know I've never dated a guy this seriously before." That was true; she had never made it to the three month mark in a relationship before. "He's a great guy, you might actually like him."

Blair's response was a snort. "Fine," she sighed when Serena only offered another glare. "Bring him to the party tomorrow night."

This time Serena froze, the small plastic spoon she'd been using for the yoghurt hanging between closed glossy lips. "The party?" She repeated after the hesitation. "You want me to bring Dan to your party?" The party that Blair was throwing was another excuse for the elite of the Upper East Side to get drunk and hook up with the first person that took their interest.

"Sure." Blair shrugged, "You want us to give Brooklyn a chance, bring him to the party."

Serena knew that Dan would scoff at the idea of spending his Friday night in the Waldorf penthouse. His night's with Serena generally involved lounging around on his bed, watching movies and eating Chinese takeout; or wandering around the streets of the city, getting lost while they found café's and small restaurants.

"I'll ask him." Serena finally answered, "But I can't guarantee it."

Blair shrugged again, indifferent; she had extended the invitation at least.

**G~G**

"You're eager this morning." Dan laughed in greeting as he opened the front door to the family loft, just after seven thirty in the morning to find his girlfriend of three months standing on the other side. He was half dressed, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed, with his ritual morning coffee gripped tightly in his hands. She simply smiled back like she'd been up for hours and bounded past him.

"So…what's the plan for the night?" Dan's voice was muffled slightly after he'd shuffled back into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, to finish getting dressed for school. Serena looked down at her hands and tried to come up with a way to suggest the party.

"Well," She drew out the word. "Blair's throwing this party tonight, at her place… We're both invited."

The silence that followed was unnerving. Serena stared at the closed bedroom door, wondering what Dan was doing in there. Finally, just as she was standing up to go talk to Dan the door opened again and he emerged, fully dressed.

"Blair's party?" He asked with one raised eyebrow. "You want _me_ to go and spend Friday night with Blair and Chuck and Nate?" He shuddered inwardly at the thought of a whole night with the people that Serena called friends.

She could see the hesitation in his eyes. He wanted to say no, he wanted to say no so badly. But it was her smile, her intoxicating smile that loomed in front of him.

"Fine," He sighed, knowing that he had to at least make an attempt to get along with Serena's friends. "We'll go to the party."

Serena squealed in excitement and wrapped her arms around Dan's neck, kissing his cheek. "It's going to be a great night." She oozed optimism. Dan didn't have the heart to spoil her attitude.

"C'mon." Dan wrapped an arm around Serena's waist. "Let's go."

**~GG~**

"What's your girlfriend thinking Nate?" Chuck grumbled as the two teenagers sat in the back row of their AP English class, Chuck glowering at the back of Dan's Humphrey's head in the front row.

"S begged her." Nate hissed back. "She wants us to like this guy."

"Has she looked at him? I know she'll love anyone but he's no-one…" He drawled.

Nate shrugged, looking back up to the board to make sure he was still following; he couldn't afford to fail. He didn't particularly like the other guy either, but he _had _promised Serena he would at least make an attempt.

Dan tried to shake off the unnerving sensation of people staring at him, and he glanced back to find the dark eyes of Chuck Bass settled on him. Dan stared back, but Chuck never dropped his glare and in the end it was Dan who turned back to focus on the teacher.

He would never be comfortable around the people Serena considered her closest friends.

**G~G**

"Stop complaining." Serena laughed, pushing herself up into a sitting position on Dan's bed. "You look great." If she managed to get him out of his apartment tonight she was going to consider the night a success.

"We're not staying all night." Dan told Serena for the hundredth time. "After an hour, we're coming back here and ordering Chinese."

Serena nodded, giggling as several blonde locks of hair fell into her face. "Fine, one hour." She smiled up at him.

Dan fell down on to the bed next to her, kissing her cheek as she buried her head into his neck. "We _could _stay here." Dan suggested _again_. Serena shook her head again.

"Let's go." She pulled herself from him and jumped off the bed, pulling him up with him.

Dan stood on the sidewalk, Serena's hand still tightly in his as he stared up at the imposing building in front of him with trepidation. "Blair lives _here_?"

"Right up the top." Serena teased him lightly. "It's going to be okay Dan. She invited us to remember."

Dan sighed, and let Serena pull him into the building, noticing that she waved friendly at the doorman and security guard that were on duty.

The penthouse was elaborately decorated and they were at least half an hour late so the place was crowded as the hired DJ, who was almost impossible to book, blared out music through his sound system.

"This isn't that bad." Serena smiled as she began to weave her way through the crowds of people looking for the hostess. Dan remained silent.

**~GG~**

Dan didn't know how it happened. One second he had Serena's hand as she pulled him through the penthouse on the way to where the drinks were being kept, and then he lost her. He was at a party crowded with people he spent every day with and the only person he actually liked had disappeared into the crowd.

"Great." He hissed, finally finding the drink table and no Serena. He grabbed a can of _something _and it tipped it back.

"Nate, No." Dan had been wandering around the edge of the crowds, occasionally people-watching, constantly searching for his girlfriend. He was ready to be back at home curled up together on his bed. When he was near the hall leading into the impressive kitchen he had only glimpsed earlier he slipped out of the main party. "Blair doesn't need to know an old mistake like that. I don't want Dan to know I was anything like that."

"A mistake like what?" Dan asked, making himself known as he came to stand between them.

"Nothing man." Nate ran a hand through his hair. "S and I were just talking."

"It sounded important."

"It was nothing." Serena tried to convince Dan, kissing him softly. "Come on, I'm not in the mood for this party. Chinese sounds really good at the moment."

"Serena." Nate surrounded frustrated as the couple began to left the room. "We still need to talk."

"I don't want to talk Nate." Serena hissed between clenched teeth. "Not now, not ever."

"Still trying to deny it?" The familiar drawl of Chuck Bass panicked Serena. "So you fucked your best friend's boyfriend before fleeing the state."

"Excuse me?" Serena was suddenly very claustrophobic as Blair emerged from nowhere, on the search for more ice that the waiters had overseen. "You what?"

Dan turned to face Serena in disgust.

"Dan, I just need to explain."

Dan shook his head. "Not now Serena, I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe."

He wasn't staying in this party for another second.

_**Another chapter!**_

_**I noticed while writing this that a couple of flashbacks in Seven Years are missing from this story. Oops, I'll edit Seven Years later to update it so the two stories are completely compatible, but for now I hope you enjoyed and you'll continue to enjoy.**_

_**Don't forget to review**_

_**Casey xx**_


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